Wisconsin 101 is proud to collaborate with Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life, an award-winning radio show that celebrates what makes Wisconsin unique. Every few weeks,Ā Wisconsin LifeĀ will feature a new object from the Wisconsin 101 collection. Enjoy those radio segments below, ordered by most recent air date.
Jolly Good
by Rachael Vasquez
What would a Southeastern Wisconsinite grab on a hot summer day in the 1970s and 80s?Ā Ā Jolly GoodĀ soda of course! This local brand was celebrated as the cornerstone of cookouts, family reunions, and get-togethers.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
Pasty
Miners from Cornwall, England flocked to Wisconsin in the 1800s. They settled in places like Mineral Point and Minerās Grove as more lead was needed for things like paint, pipes, and lead shot. Cornish miners brought their mining expertise for extracting galena, which is a mineral used to make lead. They also brought a piece of their European culture āĀ the pasty.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
Door County Book Mobile
Bookmobiles have long dotted Wisconsinās roadways and parking lots. The state has a long history of bringing books and movies to people living anywhere fromĀ Wisconsin DellsĀ toĀ Green Bay. TheĀ Door County BookmobileĀ provided books to rural residents of Door County starting in the 1950s. Today, that tradition is carried on by bookmobiles like the Madison Public LibraryāsĀ Dream Bus.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
Babcock Ice Cream Carton
They donāt call Wisconsin āAmericaās Dairylandā for nothing. Ā TheĀ Babcock ice cream cartonĀ symbolizes both Wisconsinās dairy farming pastĀ and its appeal as a summer destination for tourists from around the world.
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Migrant Workers' Cabin
What can this tinyĀ migrant workersā cabinĀ tell us about the history of Wisconsinās pickle industry?
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Settlement Cookbook
Practical, economical, reliable: the unlikely origins of aĀ hundred-year-old cookbookĀ that still graces kitchens across America.
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Sterling Safety Bicycle
In the 1890s, everyone from Annie Oakley to the Badger Wheelmen participated in Wisconsinās cycling craze. TheĀ blue drop-tube safety bicycleĀ represents two sides of Wisconsinās bicycling story: bike manufacturing and recreational uses.
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Lifesaving Medal
Awarded to six Milwaukee rescue boat volunteers in 1875,Ā this medalĀ is a reminder of the history of risk and heroism along Wisconsinās shores.
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Employers Mutual Audiometer
Founded in Wausau, WI, in 1911, Americaās first workers compensation insurance company started using equipment like theĀ Employers Mutual AudiometerĀ to develop new standards of workplace safety.
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Le Maire Sundial
The mid-eighteenth century equivalent of todayās GPS, thisĀ Le Maire Sundial, would have guided French officers along maritime highways.
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Paramount Records 78
An old 78 record spins a tune about Port WashingtonāsĀ Paramount Records, one of the leading blues music production studios of the 1920s.
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Yerkes Telescope
Built in 1895, theĀ 40-inch refracting Yerkes TelescopeĀ in Williams Bay marks one of the birthplaces of modern astrophysics.
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Penguin Server
AĀ penguin-themed serving bowlĀ dishes out stories about the aluminum industry, postwar consumer culture, and home entertainment in mid-twentieth century Wisconsin.
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The Wilson Place Door
OpenĀ the front door at Menomonieās Wilson Place MansionĀ to discover a world of educational innovation and an artistic movement devoted to social responsibility and quality craftsmanship.
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CCC Pillow Sham
Memories of European immigration, the Depression, and the New Dealās Civilian Conservation Corps are woven into the fabric of thisĀ commemorative pillow sham.
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Babcock Butterfat Tester
TheĀ Babcock Butterfat Tester, developed at the University of Wisconsin in 1890, transformed the US dairy industry and helped Wisconsin become the Dairy State.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
Cassel Soda Bottle
Pop open aĀ bottle from the old Cassel Soda CompanyĀ and youāll find surprising stories about Prohibition, Milwaukeeās resort towns, and urbanization in early-1900s Wisconsin.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
Piano and Song Recital Poster
A tatteredĀ music recital posterĀ sings songs of Milwaukeeās late-nineteenth century music scene, the womenās movement, and early Mexican immigration to Wisconsin.
Listen to theĀ posterās segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
Fromm's Fashionable Furs
Five brothers from Hamburg, Wisconsin, built aĀ fox-fur empireĀ that transformed the fur industry and played a major role in the development of a canine distemper vaccine.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life:
The Vulcan Bowling Pin
Hewn from Northwoods maple, thisĀ Vulcan Corporation pinĀ reminds us that Milwaukee was once the bowling capital of America. From Wisconsinās lumbering heyday, to Japanās abandoned alleys, explore history in the bowling lane.
Listen below to theĀ segment on Wisconsin Public RadioāsĀ Wisconsin Life: